Coates
A mainly locational surname, originally referring to someone from a place called Coates or from a cottage by the road or fields.
The #1,512 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 13,014 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Coates is generally a locational surname. The name is linked to several English place-names called Coates, and to the older word cott or cote, meaning a cottage, hut, or small shelter. In origin it could describe someone who lived "at the cote" or came from a settlement with that name.
History
Early surname dictionaries note Coates in several English counties, and some also point to place-names in Scotland and elsewhere. The spelling Coates became established alongside forms such as Coat, Cotes, and Coats. It is a good example of a surname that could arise independently in more than one district from the same place-name element.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root behind Coates also appears in many English place-names called Coates or Cotes, so unrelated families could arrive at the same surname from different local origins.
From the historical record
“COAT. See Cott. COATES. Parishes, &c., in cos. Glou- cester, Leicester, Lincoln, Sussex, York, &c. COBB. There is perhaps no monosyl- lable in any language that has so many distinct meanings as cob. It may he thought curious to enumerate them. As a VERB, it signifies, 1, to strike; 2, to pull the ear or hair ; 3…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom